Millennial Mischief

by Kat Cotton

  Shun looked from me to Yuki then back. “Where were you while Yuki was sleeping?”

  “I went outside because she was smoking. The kami spoke to me just before I went outside. I came in because I heard a noise and thought you were back and Yuki was asleep.”

  “You shouldn’t have gone outside.”

  I knew that Shun just wanted to keep the peace between us but it really boiled my piss that he said that. Yuki attacked me all the time but she wouldn’t take responsibility for the one thing she did wrong. No matter what I did, I’d always be the one to blame here. The two of them had been friends too long. I was the outsider.

  I got up and went outside. I wouldn’t cry, I wouldn’t even sniff. Screw them. The two of them could do this themselves if that’s what they wanted.

  I watched them inside. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, and they were probably speaking Japanese anyway, but they huddled together and every so often one of them would glance in my direction.

  The best thing to do would be to turn so I couldn’t see them. Every time I thought we were taking some steps to becoming friendly, they’d turn against me again.

  I swallowed. Soon, I’d have to go back in there and it would be so awkward. I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t stay in the courtyard all night but there was nothing I could do to fix this. If I opened my mouth, Yuki would attack me again and Shun would back her up. I could go back to my apartment and sleep. It wasn’t like I could do any more tonight anyway.

  Then it hit me.

  Why go back to my apartment when I could just go home? Pack my stuff and head to the airport. Book the next flight out of here. Why did I need to stay anyway? If Mum and Dad wanted their stupid stone back, they could come here and deal with this shit themselves. They’d told me I just had to talk to the old man. They hadn’t mentioned anything about working for him or dealing with horrible people. I hadn’t wanted any of this.

  I’d go back to university and get myself undeferred. I could be back on campus by the end of the week, drinking beers with my normal friends, the ones who didn’t judge me or make me feel unwelcome and who sure as hell didn’t use me to win some stupid team battle.

  I walked inside and through the apartment.

  “Where are you going?” Yuki asked.

  “I’m getting out of your hair,” I said. “If you want to deal with this on your own, then fine.”

  Chapter 22

  I got upstairs and threw my things in my suitcase. For a moment, I considered cleaning up but screw that. I’d leave it for Yamaguchi to deal with. He could separate the garbage and put it out. I just wanted to get to the airport and out of here ASAP.

  Pity I hadn’t had time to do more shopping or see the city. I hadn’t even eaten sushi. Maybe there was a sushi place at the airport. Because now that I’d decided to leave, staying was no longer an option.

  I brushed away a tear as I packed. Stupid. I had nothing to cry about. They were the stupid ones. The whole damn lot of them. This was the right thing to do, the only thing.

  My stupid case wouldn’t shut. Not even with me sitting on it and bouncing. I went through it and started chucking stuff out. Shampoo and conditioner, I could replace that once I got home. Magazines, didn’t need them.

  Ashley’s frou frou dress, I couldn’t really throw that out.

  I took out my dinosaur backpack. I could carry that on the plane. A couple of those t-shirts could go and one of the thick sweaters. I tried again. Finally, I got it all zipped up.

  It took a bit of effort to get my case down the stairs, especially since my muscles already ached from trying to carry that box. A long soak in the bath would be the best thing to help that but I had no time for baths.

  Now the best thing to do would be get a cab to the airport train. I really should’ve looked up the best way to do this while I still had internet access. But the convenience store had Wi-Fi.

  As I started wheeling my case down the street, the crow settled on my shoulder.

  “Sorry, dude, but I’m going home. Nice knowing you. You were my only friend in this city.”

  He cawed then nipped my earlobe.

  “Oi. Not so rough.”

  More crows crowded around me. The fluttering of their wings had become familiar now.

  “Hey, guys, leave me alone. You can’t stop me from doing this.”

  I dropped my suitcase handle and tried to shoo them off, knowing those damn crows wouldn’t be so easily shooed. Their numbers had increased so I could barely see to walk. I squatted down instead, waiting for them to get some sense in their stupid crow heads. Those crows showed no sign of letting up, though.

  A crow attack was the last thing I needed right now. If they wanted to help me, they could get me a cab.

  My thighs burned. I couldn’t squat much longer. Instead, I jumped up and shook my fist at them.

  “Leave me alone, you lousy crows. I’m leaving and you can’t stop me. There’s no place for me here. And I won’t let a bunch of crows decide my future. If I want to go home, I can go. I’ll start throwing rocks at you if you don’t quit it.”

  The bit about throwing rocks was a total bluff. I’d never hurt an animal in my life. But those crows cleared.

  Good. They’d listened to me.

  I swept a feather off my shoulder. Then I looked up.

  Shun.

  He stood in front of me, arms crossed.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” He really didn’t look pleased.

  “Going home,” I said. “I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of being insulted and treated like an idiot and having people use me. This place is not for me.”

  “Do you have time for a chat before you leave?” he asked. “When’s your flight?”

  “It’s soon. Real soon. I have to rush.”

  He raised his eyebrow. “Really? When did you book it?”

  Damn. He had me there. He knew I only had Wi-Fi at Yuki’s place.

  “Okay, I’ll talk but I’m not staying.”

  He grabbed my case from me. I thought we’d go back to Yuki’s apartment but he took me to the cafe. We grabbed a table at the back, well away from other people.

  Once we ordered our drinks, Shun leaned on his elbows and really stared at me. I waited for it, the pep talk. The token effort to tell me I should stay. Even though I knew that it would be just talk and he’d be happy to see the back of me. I’d listen to what he had to say then tell him I’d take it on board but use the cafe Wi-Fi to book my flight. No problemo.

  “Do you think you can escape Yamaguchi so easily?” he said.

  “I’m leaving the country.”

  “He’ll find you.”

  Our drinks arrived. I didn’t usually have sugar in my coffee but I added one, feeling like I’d need it for this.

  “I tried to leave once,” Shun said with a wavering voice. “Do you know what he did? He killed my sister.”

  I dropped the sugar packet. “You’re kidding, right? You don’t mean he literally killed her?”

  Shun didn’t have the look of someone making a bad joke. His hands trembled and he didn’t look up at me.

  “I came from a small town in the mountains to work for Yamaguchi. I’d never mentioned my family to him. I hadn’t wanted him to know about them, figuring that the less he knew, the better. Then one day he asked us to do a particularly gruesome job and I didn’t have the stomach for it. I figured I could run away, far away. Disappear for a long time and he’d forget about me. I was wrong. Before I’d even left town, I got word that my sister had died in a freak accident. Wolves.”

  The haunted look in Shun’s eyes chilled me. He obviously blamed himself. But there was no way he could be certain there was any connection to Yamaguchi. If they lived in the mountains, it could’ve just been a coincidence.

  I looked up, about to say something but he interrupted me.

  “You know there have been no wolves in Japan for centuries. The only wolves I know of work for Yamaguchi.”

  I
gulped. I wanted to reach out for Shun’s hand. He seemed to need comfort but I wasn’t sure how to offer it. The boundaries of our relationship made me uncertain of even the simplest gesture.

  Then I glanced around. Did Yamaguchi have spies? Had they seen me with my suitcase?

  I shivered. Should I call my parents and warn them? Maybe they already knew. Had my parents sent me here knowing what Yamaguchi was like? Mum had seemed wary on the phone.

  If I failed, they’d be at risk. My throat tightened.

  Shun still didn’t look up. Screw it. I put my hand over his. He didn’t push me away so I figured I’d done the right thing.

  “So, how did you get involved with Yamaguchi in the first place?” I asked.

  Shun took a sip of his coffee. I thought he wouldn’t answer. The noise of the cafe buzzed around us, people talking and laughing, the coffee machine grinding.

  “It was a long time ago now,” Shun said. I remembered he’d said that he’d worked for Yamaguchi for about twenty years. “The area around my family home started dying. The river dried up, the trees turned brown and all the birds and animals left. We believed that the spirit of the mountain had left. My parents were guardians of that mountain and we needed to save it. I came to the city to find a solution. And that’s how it happened.”

  “You agreed to work for Yamaguchi? But for how long?”

  “For as long as the mountain exists. I went into it with my eyes closed but I had no choice really. I saved the mountain but I couldn’t save my sister.”

  I swirled the coffee in my cup, trying to think this out. “I only agreed to work on this job. Do you think he’ll let me leave once it’s done?”

  “He’ll try to trick you,” Shun said. “He’ll keep to the letter of his words but if there’s any loophole he’ll use it. You have to be constantly on your guard.”

  “So, you’re stuck working for him like a slave,” I said.

  “It’s not so bad,” Shun said. “It’s my duty to protect the mountain and I have to work somewhere. I don’t fight it any more. I accepted my fate but I don’t think you’ll ever accept it. You should get out while you can, but finish this job or you’ll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life.”

  I sucked down the rest of my coffee then slammed the cup on the table.

  “Looks like I don’t have any choice,” I said.

  “And, Molly, don’t take the things Yuki says to heart. She has an abrasive personality.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. She’s not abrasive to you.”

  Shun laughed. “That’s taken a long time, believe me. Don’t forget, she’s not human. She doesn’t see things like we do. But she is loyal and she does try, sometimes.”

  I wanted to ask why he considered himself human but not Yuki but that’d be a discussion for another time.

  We both got up and paid the bill then walked back to the apartments. As we walked the crow flew around me, setting on my shoulder.

  “He’s adopted you,” Shun said.

  “Whether I like it or not.”

  Then the crow dropped something from his mouth. A shiny silver button. I knew that button. It came from the jacket Hokuto had worn.

  I handed it to Shun.

  “Now you can enter his dreams,” I said. “Let’s get those fuckers.”

  Chapter 23

  There wasn’t much to do until Shun got information. Since my choices were sitting around with Yuki or sleeping, I decided on sleep. I put my case back in the wardrobe and settled into my futon. Even if I only got a few hours, it’d beat the hell out of dealing with Yuki’s sour face.

  It seemed like I’d only just got to sleep when Shun banged on my door. He had Yuki with him. The two of them came in and sat down. Yuki sprawled on the floor making me resent the space she took up in my apartment.

  “Did he tell you anything?” I asked.

  Shun shrugged. “I found out a bit. Their headquarters is in a host club.”

  Yuki tsked. “Of course it is. Just what you’d expect with those guys.”

  She looked pretty disgusted.

  “What’s a host club?” I asked and waited for her scathing reply.

  “It’s hard to explain,” Yuki said.

  She always said that, though. I’d gotten the idea it was nothing good.

  “It’s a club where women go to enjoy male company,” Shun said.

  “So they are man whores?” My eyes widened. I’d been out drinking with male prostitutes? Whoa! Add that to life experiences. I couldn’t wait to tell Gabby. I guess man whore demons would pretty much cover it but I couldn’t tell Gabby the demon part.

  “Man whore,” Yuki repeated, saying it like she was testing the phrase out, rolling it around her mouth. “That is exactly what Jin is. Man whore.”

  Shun inhaled. “They act charming and encourage women to buy overpriced drinks. There is no whoring involved but it can be very shady.”

  “If Jin is involved, there is whoring.”

  Wow, Yuki really hated him with a fury that went beyond her normal bored apathy. Way beyond.

  “Jin and Yuki have a history,” Shun said.

  I sat up. “Really?”

  I needed to know about that but Yuki shot Shun a look that made him shut up. Damn it. Jin, huh? The dude was a bit seedy looking. At least if I’d been sucked in by one of the Snakes, I’d gone for the good looking one. Why did Yuki hush Shun when I was finally finding out something interesting about her? I needed all the dirt on this.

  “What about Mai?” I asked. “What does she do while they’re man whoring?”

  “Maybe bartending,” Shun said.

  “Do you have the club name?” Yuki asked.

  Shun shook his head.

  “How many of these clubs are there?” I asked.

  “In Kabukicho? Many, many clubs,” Yuki said. “Kabukicho is in Shinjuku,” she added before I asked. “Shinjuku has everything. Bars, host clubs, hostess clubs. And other things that normal people don’t even know about.”

  “I didn’t get the name of the club but I saw the place,” Shun said. “There’s a big sign with a flamingo.”

  “And did you find out about the kami?” Yuki asked.

  “No. He went blank when I asked about that. There was nothing there at all.”

  “So, he’s blocking it?” Yuki asked.

  “Seems that way.”

  I wanted to know if he’d said anything about me in his dream. Like maybe he was sorry that he’d messed with me or that it hadn’t all been a lie. But there was no way to ask that without looking sad and pathetic. He’d messed with me and now he’d stolen my kami, and that grumpy old kami had ended up being the best friend I had in this entire country, continent even. I shouldn’t even think about forgiving Hokuto.

  I stood up. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get to this club and kick ass.”

  “Ah, Molly,” Shun said. “You might want to change out of your pajamas.”

  I looked down at my outfit. Oh yeah, Shun was right.

  “Put on something flashy,” Yuki said. “We need to fit into the host club.”

  “But what if we have to fight? I need to be able to move.”

  I did a high kick to demonstrate then – ouch! I rubbed my thigh as the pain shot down my leg. That might’ve pulled a muscle.

  “I don’t think you should fight,” Yuki said. “You’re not cut out for it and you’re the only one who can talk to the kami. Anyway, we have skills that go beyond childish fighting.”

  Yeah, she was right. My skills went way beyond just throwing punches. I could talk to the kami. That made me valuable.

  “So, I’ll lure the kami out of hiding while you guys tackle the Snakes?”

  “That’s the basic plan,” Shun said.

  “Basic plan, huh? If you have a more detailed plan, please tell me. I don’t want you hiding stuff from me. That will put us all in danger.”

  “We can’t plan in detail,” Shun said. “We only have the bare detail
s. Once we get there, we’ll play it by ear. But your task is to get the kami. Don’t worry about anything else. Don’t even wait for us. If you can get him out then run and meet us back here.”

  Back here wasn’t a good idea in my opinion. The Snakes knew where we were and they proved we had no defenses against them. But, since I couldn’t think of any other alternative, I didn’t say anything.

  I threw Shun and Yuki out of my apartment so I could change then met them outside of the building. I didn’t exactly have anything glamorous in my wardrobe but I had a short black dress I’d packed in case I went clubbing. I threw a pair of fishnets on with it. I looked cute. That Hokuto would be sorry he messed with me.

  Yuki had on a silver dress that clung to her body. she didn’t have an inch of fat on her.

  “Are we catching the train?” I asked.

  “It’s too late. The trains have stopped running. We’ll have to get a cab,” Shun said.

  As he said it, a cab pulled up. They must’ve called it while they were waiting. The cab door automatically opened. Cool. We jumped in and I gazed out the window as we drove. The streets around us got brighter and filled with people. We pulled up on a street full of neon lights.

  “I did some research,” Shun said. “There are a few places it could be.”

  I followed Shun and Yuki as they walked through the streets. We seemed to be the only sober ones in the entire area. Groups of friends staggered down the street, arm in arm, propping each other up. A man in a business suit slept on the street.

  “Shouldn’t we help him?” I asked.

  “He’s just drunk. He’ll sleep it off.” Yuki didn’t look too concerned.

  We went past a department store with random stuff spilling out onto the street.

  “Look,” I said. “They sell those masks.” I pointed to the row of horse masks the same as Jin and his friend had worn when they attacked us.

  “They sell them everywhere,” Yuki said.

  Damn. I thought I’d found an awesome clue.

  I hoped we’d find that club soon. These streets smelled of vomit and urine and other not so nice stuff and a lot of the business men we passed leered at my boobs.